Three boys from the city!
by cab4five
Summary: A companion piece to Blood Brothers and set 3 years later, this is Finn's P.O.V about growing up during the depression and WW2 and the life -long friendships with Mike Chang and Noah Puckerman.


Three boys from the city:

Summary: A companion piece to _**Blood Brothers**_ and set 3 years later, this is Finn's P.O.V about growing up during the depression and WW2 and the life -long friendships with Mike Chang and Noah Puckerman.

A Finn Hudson, fan fiction.

Mentions of Mike Chang and Noah Puckerman.

High T-M rating for some language and mentions of adult themes.

A/N: I decided to write Finn's version of this story for a couple of reasons, 1- it came to me and wouldn't leave and 2- Puck's didn't seem very popular, not sure if it was because it was Puck or people just didn't like the idea of the whole thing but I hope you enjoy this one, it will be a complete one shot only. I own nothing but the plot and OC characters.

Please review.

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 _When the public hype over the release of Puck's autobiography died down 3 years ago. I was approached by the same publishing house to write my own, at first, I didn't really think the old-style musings of an 89-year-old great grandfather would be of any interest to anyone except my own family. I certainly didn't want to cash-in on Puck's success and the fact our stories were similar, I didn't think I'd be able to add anything different._

 _But after talking it over with Rach, our kids and grandkids I began to get excited about the project, I'd read Puck's book (I'm still waiting for him to autograph it ha, ha) and thought of a few stories of my own, as obviously he wasn't around every minute and we were miles apart for a lot of years especially once we left the army and Mike and I went to college. I won't add much of my early life as it pretty much parallels Puck's story, just the bits that stick out in my memory._

 _The only downside to writing a story like this was one of the main characters was missing. Mike passed away suddenly a year ago and to this day is sadly missed, but life goes on Puck and I do what we can for his Kimmi, and I am thankful all our kids and grandkids are still close._

 _So, with him in mind this story is for him, rest in peace brother and thanks for the memories._

 _Keep on drumming man_

I suppose I should start with a brief introduction of myself, I was born Finnegan Christopher Hudson on November 15, 1925, to Christopher and Carole Hudson (nee Mathews) at home in Northwood Street, Manhattan New York. My Dad worked at the ship building yards and my Mom ran a boarding house from our home where men from the ship and railway yards lived. I don't remember much about those early days, until 1929 when I was about four when a policeman and the local church minister came around to tell Mom that there had been an accident down at the yards which resulted in the deaths of three men. My Dad was one of them all I can really remember clearly is Mom hugging me so tight and her tears dripping onto my face telling me that I was now the man of the family and that we would be alright.

I missed my dad and know Mom did too cause sometimes at night I'd hear her crying and calling out for him, but as I grew older I understood more about what happened and that he was always with us in our hearts. I did what I could to help Mom around the house, and the men that lived with us were cool. Mom never had any bother with them or the police due to bad reports they always paid their bills on time and didn't drink too much booze, and they most certainly didn't bring their lady friends back. We all got on well, even though the local busy bodies took every opportunity to comment about Mom running a house of ill repute, and she should be ashamed especially as she had a young child, and what sort of example was she setting.

But the men that lived with us always looked out for me and Mom and helped with the yard and other stuff that Mom or Mrs Mac couldn't do. A few of them had their own families in the country and only came to New York for work.

In 1931, I was old enough for school. Mom woke me up that first morning with a tickle to my belly and a kiss on my cheek telling me that my breakfast was on the table so to hurry up and get dressed before my clothes got cold, (she always hung my clothes over the fire guard in front of the kitchen stove in the cold months so they'd be toasty warm for me to put on). After I ate my breakfast Mom handed me a paper bag with my food for the day, she said she'd packed my favourite cinnamon pound cake, an apple and some leftover meatloaf and ketchup on a sandwich. I grabbed my little bag from the coat stand in the hall and carefully put my lunch bag inside. Mom helped me with my coat, hat and mittens before putting her own coat, gloves, woolly hat and scarf on.

I said goodbye to Mrs. Mac, squirming a little in her arms when she gave me a hug and told me to have a good day (I did like her hugs but for someone so small and old she sure was strong). Then Mom and I started off for Bridge Street Elementary school on the lower East side, which was about a ten-minute walk. I was very glad of my coat and hat coz the wind blowing in off the water was freezing, it was only Fall Mom said but it was shaping up to be a cold winter. I did like this time of year coz the trees changed colors and made everything a little bit more colourful, I thought I'd like to try and draw a picture of them and wondered if my teacher would have some chalks I could use. The closer we got to school my belly was making funny noise and it felt like there was a pile of worms in there all jumping around like they do when I try to put them on the hook of my fishing pole.

I was looking around the school yard to see if there were any kids I knew from my street but there wasn't, there was only a few kids that looked like they were in the first grade like me. Then a tall man with a big smile and a deep dimple in his chin walked out of the building carrying a big brass bell. Mom said that was the teacher so it was time she left, but remember to wait in the school yard for her at the end of school. She hugged me tight and kissed my face trying to wipe her tears away before they dripped on my face, she said she loved me so much and to have a good day and learn lots and be a good boy. I promised her I would and waved at her till she stopped to help another lady with her pram before they both disappeared out the school gate.

The tall man rang his bell then and called all us kids to line up outside the door, and when we were in two straight lines girls on one side and boys on the other we went inside. It was real cosy thanks to the fire box in one corner. We were told to take our coats off and hang them with our bags on one of the hooks along one wall, then to pick a seat. I picked a seat at the end of the very front row, on the other end was a boy about my size with glasses, and just after he sat down another kid took the chair in the middle

The teacher started to talk then and said his name was Mr. Schuester and he was our teacher and in our class, there was a mixture of kids from first grade up to sixth, but before we started today's lessons he would call attendance. As he went through the list of names kids just raised their hands, I found out the boy with the glasses was called Michael Chang Junior, and in the middle, Noah Puckerman.

School was okay I suppose, we started off by listening to Mr. Schuester read a story and then Michael, Noah and I got to hand out the slate boards and chalk and we did some alphabet. Finally, it was lunchtime. It turned out Michael, me and Noah were the only boys in the first grade so we stuck together and sat under the big tree not too far from our classroom, we didn't say that much only asking what they others had to eat.

When they said what they had and we started to eat, me and Noah just watched Michael with wonder as he ate his rice with little sticks that looked like pencils and was amazed that he didn't drop one little bit.

Once we had finished eating I saw the basket of balls and hoops and stuff Mr. Schuester said we could play with, I picked up the football and asked Noah and Michael if they wanted to toss it around, they both said yes, we walked over to the patch of grass but just before we got there a group of bigger kids come up to us and one of them who was called Tobias pushed me over snatching the ball out of my arms. He called me pip-squeak and in a nasty voice said that we were babies and weren't allowed to play with the football only the tiddly-winks and quoits and baby stuff. He was laughing in a nasty way and had some friends with him who looked just as mean.

I got up off the ground not looking at my knee which was hurting and I could feel the blood running down my leg. But I stood up to him and told him they we were so allowed to play with the ball coz Mr. Schuester said we could. He started to come closer to me pushing me and making me stumble, I noticed Michael and Noah stick close by me. I told him to pick on someone his own size and rolled my hands into fists ready to sock him one. He went all red in the face and started to push me again, but suddenly we heard Mr. Schuester telling the bigger boys off and to go and line up, then he saw my knee and told me to go with him and he would clean it up and put a bandage on it. I nodded my head trying to be brave but my knee was really hurting. Mr. Schuester told Michael and Noah he was proud of them for standing by me when the bigger boys were being nasty and that he would think up a good punishment for them.

I was really enjoying school and by the end of the first week we had started to do alphabet and me Michael and Noah got a star stamp on our paper when we showed Mr. Schuester we could all write our names, it was a bit untidy but still easy to read.

The best part of the week was on Friday afternoon after lunch, when Mr. Schuester wheeled out a big wooden box and started to show us all the different musical instruments and tell us what they were all called. It was funny watching all the kids trying the different ones, Noah had a go on the French horn but we all thought the noise he made was just like one of the tug boats in the harbour, he finally settled on a tiny guitar thingy called a Ukulele.

Michael made a funny face when he picked up a pair of red shakers, but instantly put them down again saying they were babies' toys, he tried the tambourine then the golden saxophone and man he made it sing!

I tried the trumpet and after a couple of minutes blowing in it till I was red in the face, only managing to make a sound that was like someone had farted against a window, I then picked up a violin, but I don't know which was worse because it seriously sounded like a sack of squealing cats being squished. I had one more look in the instrument box and right at the bottom was a little set of bongo drums, now this was the way to make music!

Mr. Schuester was smiling like crazy when us boys started to play the instruments we'd decided on, and asked us if we were sure we'd never played them before, when we all said no at the same time we were wondering why he was so excited but didn't have time to think about it anymore as it was the end of the day. We helped pack up the music box smiling at each other as we watched Tobias Cannon and his bully crew pack up the things they had used to clean our classroom and make sure the wood box was full ready for Monday. Those boys never bothered us first graders again Mr. Schue made sure.

By the time school broke up for Christmas vacation that year Michael (who Noah had started to call Mike cos he had decided that Michael Chang Jnr was too stuffy) Noah and myself were best friends. It was cool that we all only lived a few streets away from each other but the best bit was when Mrs. Puckerman came to work at Mom's boarding house, because Mrs. Mac needed to go and help her sister who had just lost her husband and needed help with their farm down in Georgia. It was great having Noah and his little brother Jake to hang out with after school and I know Mrs. Puckerman was happy to have somewhere safe for Jake when he was sleeping, even though she was helping Mom she still did the ironing for other people and obviously had to deliver it all and by leaving Jake with Mom especially if it was raining or snowing she could get done quicker. Albert, one of the guys that boarded with us fixed the wheel on her pram so it didn't wobble and threaten to fall off every 5 minutes.

Mike when he had free time was at our place too.

By the time I was in the third grade I was really enjoying school and was learning lots Mike and I even encouraged Noah to pay more attention. The one thing we all enjoyed and tried hard at was our music and writing lessons. Mr. Schue was terrific helping us learn how to read music, and put the many random thoughts we'd had down on paper and turn them into music.

The depression hit everyone hard, but for us things seemed to be the same, I know we did lose a couple of our boarders' due to the downsizing at the ship and railway yards but not enough to cause Mom too much worry. Us boys helped where we could, I remember we used to tow a little red wagon all over our neighbourhood collecting the horse and hen poop which we mixed with the dirt in our back yard and made a garden to grow vegetables and stuff. Mike painted a sign on the stall we made from bits and pieces… I can still remember the bright red letters that advertised HOME GROWN GOODSTUFF.

We all knew of a couple of kids from our school whose fathers lost everything when the stock-market crashed and killed themselves, and even though we didn't have a lot we helped the families with what we could.

We started to call Noah, Puck when we were about 11, at his insistence due to him becoming the man of the family when his estranged father was murdered by a fellow at Puckerman senior's gambling hall who swore Simon was running crooked tables or something. Puck told Mike and I during the summer when we were working in our garden and just started talking about our fathers'. I said how mine had died in an accident which we later found out was due to a rusty cable that snapped, and dropped a giant sheet of steel from the crane onto the workshop floor.

Puck said how his father had left one morning to go to his job at the Railway yard he instead apparently went to Chicago and hooked up with some nightclub dolly who called herself Honey Kat, and they never heard from him again.

Mike wasn't one to say a lot especially about other people but when his family were continually treated like they didn't matter just because they were Chinese he would get angry, there was nothing they could do about it except keep quiet and carry on the best they could, but when his little sister Mae, was set upon by a group of drunks and roughed up, was when us three decided to make a pact to always be there for each other and his families. Mike did say his parents went to the police to report the assault on Mae who was only 9 years old, they were not taken seriously and made to feel it was all Mae's fault.

We made friends with brothers Matt and Shane Rutherford who were African/ American, and a couple of years younger than us and lived around the block from my house it was great we'd play football and hang out, but a lot of folks didn't like the idea of different races spending time together. More than once we would go home with bloody noses or torn clothes from being set upon by the so called _'elite society'_ , we couldn't understand how the color of a person's skin should make a difference.

It was about that time Mike showed us some Kung Fu moves which was great, no one expected three kids to retaliate with a sneaky kick to the stomach. We tried to keep the fights from our Moms' but of course we couldn't hide the fact we had black eyes or fat lips, but figured the lectures we got from them for fighting was worth it because we knew we could defend ourselves, nobody had any right to trash talk our families regardless of their bank balance, even after telling us off our Moms' always told us they were proud of us for standing up for ourselves. It was after one fight that was basically a fight for our lives when it was us three against eight, some who had switch blades and baseball bats, who apparently thought we made their _'better'_ part of Manhattan look untidy, when all we were doing was collecting bottles to sell back to the Starburst soda pop company. Man! it was fucking scary but thanks to our Kung Fu skills we surprised the shit out of those spoilt toffy nosed bastards, though we did end up with bloody noses and busted lips and a few knife cuts.

Once we got back to my place and after we cleaned up, allowing our tempers to abate a little, we made an oath of brotherhood to each other. So, using my brand-new pen knife we cut our palms and pressed our hands together making us brothers in blood and at that moment swore to always be there for the others and to help them out with whatever they needed.

Once America got back on her feet after the depression things were a bit easier, but that was probably only due to the talk of war in Europe that was flooding the newspapers and radio waves, thankfully America wasn't yet involved, but from what our boarders said around the dinner table it wouldn't be long before a military force of sorts would be sent to help.

Even when we had left elementary school we kept in touch with Mr. Schue he was great, I looked to him as did Puck as a father figure and mentor as obviously we didn't have our own Fathers'. He helped us with our music and when we were old enough, managed to work it so we got gigs at his Uncle Frank's jazz club, playing the popular tunes. We were also able to play some of the songs we wrote as a group.

By the time we were all in high school we had, through contacts made at Uncle Frank's jazz club been lucky enough to get extra work to escort the daughters, granddaughters and the like of rich businessmen to their school proms and other social occasions as needed. Some of the girls were our age but went to private boarding schools so we didn't know them. Most of them were stuck up snobs but all we were expected to do was walk them into the fancy parties or whatever and pose for photographs. I for one wasn't interested in anything else but the money was excellent. I know Puck was interested in a girl but as soon as she spoke to him like he was dirt and glared at him with her green eyes, he soon lost interest. Mike was popular with the Chinese girls, and man can I just say some of them were downright freaking stunning.

So, with the money we got from taking the girls out and the club work we were doing alright for dough, most of which we gave to our parents', we did split our club money though.

We had by now found in the rich folk's trash and the local dump enough bits and pieces of instruments, we got a guitar that just needed new strings and tuning, a slightly dented golden saxophone, a bass drum, a pair of tom-toms and a snare drum. Puck even found some high-hat cymbals, and I brought a couple of pairs of good quality sticks and brushes. Instead of borrowing Uncle Frank's from the club, we could now put our own band together properly we decided to call it Blood Brothers, and played wherever we could get an audience, whether it was school proms or concerts in the park, we were doing good with our music and making fairly decent dough. But the main thing was our band was being noticed and getting more popular as the months went on.

Growing up in our neighbourhood was tough but we managed to get by, and would help our parents out as much as we could I know we were a lot better off than a lot of kids, at least we had parents who loved us. Mom did a freaking fantastic job looking after me and on her own and I did what I could for her to make her life a bit easier.

One of the guys who had just moved into our boarding house called Neddy Beecham was cool but I think also a bit shady (not that he ever did anything wrong at our place). One day when I was in senior year of high school he and I were digging over the garden ready to plant summer vegetables, and we got talking about girls and stuff and he asked me if I'd _been_ with a girl or gone to the local bar and watched the stripper show yet, as I was a good looking fellow and should have a list of lady friends a mile long.

I said no I hadn't except when we played at the jazz club but Uncle Frank was adamant we didn't have any booze, but I figured as I was only eighteen there was plenty of time for that.

He just laughed and slapped me on the back and said leave it to him.

I had no idea what he was talking about. But funnily enough Mike and Puck brought up the subject of getting with a girl later that week when we were at band practice. That conversation seemed to jog my memory and it suddenly clicked to what Neddy was talking about. Then when I got home that afternoon Neddy whistled at me from the back gate and motions for me to follow him to the hen house, where he hands me a piece of card with my name and address on it but with my birth date being 15 November **1928** instead of 1925, making me twenty-one. I told him I was only eighteen and didn't need a fake ID card but he refused to take it back and just smiled at me and said to have fun, at the same time as pushing a couple of packets of rubbers at me.

I told the guys the next day what had happened and that's when Mike mentioned he knew of a girl called Wanda, who could help us with our virginity problem and if we wanted, she would do the deed for two bucks fifty each. Well I don't need to say how we reacted to that we would have been crazy to turn down the offer so we told Mike to organise our visit to Wanda on Saturday night.

If I'm being honest the build up to our 'date' with Wanda was, the closer it got to Saturday fucking scary! So, on the way we stopped at the local bar thinking a bottle of whiskey would help calm our nerves and give us some Dutch courage but Puck nearly blew it when the barman at Joe's Bar, started yelling and threatening to call the cops because Puck was under age, and I secretly thanked Neddy for the fake ID. Before the barkeep got too angry I fist bumped Mike and strode into the bar, trying to soothe the situation by apologizing and making out Puck was my cousin and a bit simple in the head and that he must have misunderstood when I said I wanted to buy a bottle of whiskey to take to our clan get together. Finally, the older guy calms down and says something about leaving 'my cousin' home in the woods or at least on his leash next time then laughing like he just made the best joke. I just nodded and agreed trying to get out of there quick, and when he saw the extra greenback in my hand he stopped laughing and handed over the bottle of whiskey. I nodded at him and slapped Puck on the back then tugging him by his shirt sleeve out the door, trying to keep a straight face but when we were around the corner from the bar we all collapsed in a mad heap laughing like crazy thinking that the bar man was the simpleton for believing I was twenty-one, considering I was the youngest by about 4 months and still looked like a kid all innocent and dimpled smiles, even though I was about six feet two inches tall.

What we weren't going to tell anyone was the 'get together' was with Wanda at some place over in the meat packing district. Once we had calmed down we went on our way taking nips from the bottle every few minutes, but the closer we got the more the idea of maybe waiting a bit longer seemed much more sensible, but we just took another shot from the bottle and continued. Finally arriving after a thirty minute walk, we looked at each other, then at the buildings splattered with what looked like blood. As we were climbing the stairs Puck says something about maybe coming back another day, but I said no we are here now so let's just do it, I mean how bad can it be, even if she isn't a looker. We kept passing the bottle around thinking two would have been better. When we finally found the right room, we stopped in the doorway I thought we must have got the wrong place because laying on the bed was this Wanda, but she was well… not what I was expecting it was hard to determine her exact age but I reckon she must have been closer to forty than thirty, one boob was on show through the open robe she was wearing and man… when she smiled at us I could count her teeth on one hand. In a husky tone, she invites us in then takes a deep draught from the glass in her hand. I looked at the guys and tried to say through mind waves that this was a very bad idea.

We had another shot of whiskey as she introduces herself and asks our names then quickly asks if we brought our money as she wasn't running a charity and had needs. She then pulls a bottle of something from under her pillow pours another glass and counts the money we had thrown on the bed a couple of times before tucking it in a little bag. Puck was closest to the bed when she started to rub his junk through his pants, Mike and I looked away not wanting to watch our brother doing it we didn't need to see, the noises from the pair of them told us what we needed to know, and I lost count of the times I thanked Neddy for the rubbers, because I was a little worried that I'd catch something and my junk would fall off before I'd really used it with the right girl if you get my meaning.

I kept thinking that I should have waited to take this step with a woman but with all the talk of going to war and stuff I spose I was in a hurry to grow up. When it was my turn all I did was pretty much lay on my back with her on top of me just bouncing up and down on my dick, moaning and squealing like she was having the time of her life, I don't know that I felt any different afterwards, probably because it didn't mean anything. I had no feelings of any sort for Wanda I was just glad when it was over and we left, thinking that I was now a man! Slugging down the last few mouthfuls of whiskey quickly we made our way home not talking much. I just put the whole night away in a dark corner of my mind and pretty much forgot about it.

It wasn't until I met my Rachel did I fully understand the intense feelings involved in the act of sex, and to this day I am as much in love with her as I was when I saw her beautiful face smiling at me for the first time. I won't go into explicit details about my beautiful tiny brunette's skills, they are for me to know and totally appreciate, but I will say this once my heart met hers I was totally not interested in any other women.

The end of 1943 saw Mike, Puck and I high school graduates and three of the newest recruits of the United States Armed Services. America was now involved in World War two due to the surprize early morning attack on our naval base at Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.

The hardest part of my decision to join up was the look on Mom's face when I told her she was so upset, which made me feel bad but I felt it was my duty to go to war and I tried to tell her that I'd be ok and not to worry but of course all it did was make her more upset, and every time she looked at me she'd start to cry. I know I'd miss her we were very close, and I spose only having each other since I was four years old made our bond extra special and so much stronger, but I'd made my decision as the man she raised me to be and had to see it through. I had to laugh at the irony though, that as an eighteen year old I was old enough to fight and most probably die in a war thousands of miles away but not yet allowed to vote or even walk into a bar and legally buy an alcoholic drink.

It was absolutely freezing, the day we all left for boot camp. We made small talk with Mike and Puck's parents while we were waiting for the bus. Mom kept making me promise to stay safe and keep my head down and why couldn't I help the country by being a cook or something away from the front line. I'd never realised how physically strong she was, she had such a tight grip on my arm it was going numb. All I could do was hold her tight and promise I'd stay safe and would write as often as possible, I just hoped she would be alright being on her own and all but I knew Mrs. P was in the same boat so they would help each other. Mike's folks were the same and in a way, I was thankful when the bus finally arrived because it meant I had to go and couldn't change my mind.

Once we had our names marked off the list by a tough looking soldier we climbed on the bus and found a seat. I took one last look at my old life and hoped with everything I had that I would see my Mom again. The trip to boot camp was quiet nobody really talked much, the bus was too noisy anyway, I just got lost in my own thoughts. We arrived at Camp Greenly a couple of hours later, I was glad to be able to walk around and stretch my legs.

Once all the guys were off the bus, we were told to follow a sergeant into a drafty hall and told to pack up everything except our wallets, Mike Puck and I didn't bring much more than a few letter writing things, and a photo of our families in our wallets. We were then called out and given a slip of paper with our name and serial number typed on it and told to commit the number to memory I can still remember mine to this day. Then we were given a haircut making us all look the same even though there was the obvious difference in race and size a little bit later we were given our uniforms and a tin bucket filled with bathroom supplies and a sewing kit. My uniform pants were way to short which made me look like a giant bald clown, but thankfully the quartermaster found some longer ones a bit later. All our army issued clothing was to be kept in a canvas duffle bag and we were shown how to fold and pack it correctly. I was not amused when we were told the cost of the bucket and its contents was about twenty-five dollars and would be taken out of our pay, I mean we didn't earn that much and I wanted to send as much home to Mom as possible. But as there was nothing I could do about it so I just kept my opinions to myself.

That first day at boot-camp was busy with making up our bunks and learning the army's way of doing things, I shared the barracks with fifteen other guys, most were young like us, I was glad Mike and Puck were with me because I knew I could count on my brothers to get me through the lonely times and encourage me to keep going. I had envisioned the army to be a bit like our old neighbourhood back home and having to fight to survive. The first night was ok the food was at least decent, though of course my legs hung over the end of my bunk, but all in all I slept well till what seemed to me was the middle of the night, when reveille was heard amid groans and curses from my fellow recruits.

Looking at my wristwatch I noticed the time as four thirty am. So begrudgingly I dragged myself out of bed and immediately made it perfect hospital corners and all. Got dressed, waited for Puck and Mike then found our way bleary eyed to the mess-hall.

Our drill instructor DI was called sergeant Montgomery he was a veteran from the first war and holy shit was he a tough motherfucker he gave us about two minutes to line up before he started bellowing that he didn't give a rat's ass what side of the street we come from, the amount in our pocket book or the colour of our damn skin, to him we were all now soldiers in the United States army and it was his job to turn us into the best damn soldiers possible. So, listen good to what he tells us cos it might just one day save the life of our buddies or our own. But he won't be our mommas' kissin' our boo, 'boo's better and tuckin' us in at night, we were men now!

If we thought growing up in our neighbourhood was tough during the depression we were so wrong. Army life was a hundred times worse, every morning we were woken at four thirty am, then after a cold wash, breakfast and barrack inspection, even though we were only recruits we were expected to be just like regular army, our day began in any weather. Sergeant Montgomery's bellowing was pretty much the only voice we heard till lights out each night, any spare time was spent writing letters home or sleeping. Man, it was tough, the obstacle course and high ropes kicked me in the butt the first few times but once I coordinated my giant body to do things at the same time I was having fun, Mike and Puck were the same and even knowing where we would be going after all this wasn't as scary as I thought it should be, the only thing that did worry me was whether me Puck and Mike would be able to stay together.

Sergeant Montgomery was the sort of fellow who seemed to enjoy ragging on a guy and pushing him to do better, but we showed him nothing he said could get us down and when we started on the hand to hand and self-defence part of our training he was, I think secretly in awe of the skills we had especially when we snuck in some Kung-Fu moves.

By the time our training was done and we'd all had our movement orders Mike, Puck and I were in the barracks packing up our gear when Sergeant Montgomery found us and after saluting him he told us to be at ease. In an unusually friendly tone told us he was real proud of us and it would be a real goddamn shame if we were to get killed so make sure we keep our baby faces down and look after ourselves, but make sure we get as many of those enemy bastards as possible. He wished us good luck and with another salute he strode off out the door bellowing at some other guys.

Once boot camp was done I lost touch with my brothers, as I was sent to North Africa and the freaking desert, Mike to the Pacific and Puck to Europe. We did write for a short while but with our units moving all the time and everything else it was hard to know where to send mail. The first time our unit was engaged in battle was the scariest time in my entire life the noise of the bombs and guns and tanks rolling over and squishing anything and everything in its path was horrendous, not to mention guys crying out in pain. I thought I'd gone to hell and then when I had to aim my rifle at a living breathing human, well I think I cried it was just unbelievable that human beings could do this to each other... But I did I lined up the fellow and pressed my finger on the trigger, shut my eyes, I heard a grunt, not sure whether my bullet hit the mark or not but I immediately threw up in the fox hole. I know I wasn't the only guy to feel like shit about having to kill someone but for a nineteen year-old kid from the city it was tough, it might sound callous but after I'd shot that first guy killing the enemy seemed to become easier and I stopped thinking about them as people, and just got on with what I was there to do.

I lost track of time because every day was the same boiling hot during the day and freeing cold at night and man the sand! It blew into everything even into my pants and boots, which got painful when it rubbed against my skin. I made friends with a guy called Morrie Andrews from Australia, whose unit was based not far from mine, he was a munitions expert, dealing with the mines and things and was helping us out. He was cool in a laidback sort of way though he did make me worry one day when he was showing me how to rig a detonator, because his hand was shaking so much, I wondered if he'd blow us all up and save the enemy the bother, I asked him if he was ok, he just nodded his head said something that sounded like ' _Bloody oath mate'_ and reached into his pant pocket for a tiny flask and took a swig, made a face and continued with what he was doing, his hands I noticed then were as steady as a brain surgeon's.

Time moved on and I'd lost count of the men I'd seen killed and wounded from grenades or bullets or even the ones I'd killed I was no longer that innocent kid from Manhattan, I was now a man and what I'd seen I was sure would give me nightmares for years to come. I was thinking about Mike and Puck and hoped they were OK, the war in Europe had been extra hard mainly due to the winter weather and snow two-feet deep, though I suppose it didn't matter what the climate was or which country a fellow was in war was hell in any language. I had been promoted to sergeant and was so very proud of my stripes. According to my superiors I was leadership material, the men seemed to like me and I had no trouble getting them to do what I wanted them to, but I never expected them to do something I wouldn't. I know some of the other NCO's weren't as well liked, but I figured we should be looking out for each other regardless of rank.

It was winter of 1945, well in most of the world anyway North Africa, as I've said didn't do winter, my unit was holed up in a little village and we were holding our own when suddenly it went quiet and we had time to catch our breath and take a piss or drink of water when all of a sudden… the world exploded amid shrapnel, bits of building and people, once the dust settled I looked around… well I tried to but couldn't move, I called out for my buddies but got no answer, after a few minutes I managed to crawl under what was left of the building and that's when I looked down and saw the left side of my body was bleeding and covered in tiny bits of metal and my left leg was broken. I tried my radio but it had been blown to bits so I just lay there hoping I wasn't gonna bleed to death, and the next thing I knew I was in a bed with sheets and the smell of disinfectant was making my eyes sting.

I realised then I was in a hospital, thankful to be out of danger but wondering what happened to the rest of my unit, I was thinking about how worried my Mom would be if she knew I'd been hurt, when I heard a soft voice next to me. I opened my eyes to see a pretty red-headed nurse smiling at me and holding a clipboard her soft english voice was like music to my ears when she asked.

Hello soldier can you tell me your name rank and serial number please? Just so we know we have the right man.

I moved my head in a sort of nodding motion and in a voice, that didn't sound like mine said **HUDSON FC- SERGEANT M369050-5**. She then leant forward pulling my dog-tags from under my pyjama shirt and checked them against her list, smiled and nodded again checked my numerous bandages and the drip in my right arm, obviously happy everything was ok. Then in her beautiful voice says not to hesitate to call if my pain gets too much but the doctor will be along shortly to check me over so just try to rest.

When I finally had news of my brothers I'd been in the hospital (which was in a manor house in the beautiful English countryside an hour or so from London) for about three weeks and was slowly getting better but I was done with the war. I still hadn't had any word of Puck and Mike, I took a chance and asked one of the red-cross girls if she could check for me, she said she would and the next day just after lunch I was sitting in my wheelchair by the window looking out at squirrel and a fox hunting around for their dinner, the peaceful snow covered grounds looking like a postcard, and thinking it was hard to believe there was such beauty still in the world, especially after hearing how a lot of London had been blown away by bombs and the loss of so many innocent people just trying to live their lives. When I heard a throat clear behind me, turning my chair around to see who it was, I instantly started to cry because standing there looking like a mirage was Michael Chang Junior, his head wrapped in a white bandage as was his right arm which was tapped across his chest.

To anyone walking past it probably looked odd two men hugging and crying like babies but I didn't care, I was just so happy to see him. We spent the rest of the day catching each other up on where we'd been and news from home and such. Mike said he was done with the army, as his arm was too badly damaged, I had to laugh out loud when he said that it wouldn't stop his sax playing though, and don't the girls love a hero, he said he had been promoted to sergeant about 3 months previous but was glad to be done with the war and fighting. We spent the time over the next few days writing songs to the beats I would tap out one handed on the arm of my wheelchair or the table using a pencil or spoon, and had some pretty good stuff going on.

We kept asking if the red cross had any news of Puck but there was nothing. Mike and I kept our fingers crossed that Puck was at least still alive. We got the best news ever one Tuesday morning just after breakfast when nurse Elspeth, found Mike and I sitting in the day room by the cosy fire. She said to follow her but wouldn't give us any more details she just walked away making us groan with lust at the action of her body moving sensually under her starched white uniform. I thought then that a woman in a nurses' uniform was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen (till I met my Rach that is). Mike was guiding my chair with his one good hand and I was using my good arm to wheel my chair after her. She suddenly stops at a doorway to a room and just motions us in with a sweep of her hand smiling brightly, then walking away humming a song.

Well, we didn't know what was going on but when we got through the doorway, the sight that greeted us was like the best present ever because laying on the bed his bare chest wrapped in bandages was our brother, Noah Puckerman. Mike and I fist bumped each other then made ourselves as comfortable as possible just talking about things and the first day of school came up we laughed at the memory of our first music class. I smiled when Mike said about how I stood up to the bullies, remembering how scared I was, and how when Puck tried the trumpet it sounded like a farting tugboat. We laughed again then heard from the bed…

A scratchy voice filled with laughter say it was me who was squishing that sack of cats, but when Mike threw away them baby shakers man your face was a picture. He then opened his eyes and I could do nothing to stop the tears running down my face, I looked over at Mike who was doing the same trying to wipe his own.

I was still crying when I said it was good to see him but was fighting a losing battle and just let them fall. The rest of the morning was spent catching him up with what we'd been doing we didn't talk too much about the war 'cause we'd all been there and wanted to forget it as much as we could I did tell him how his Mom and Jake were doing though, which he was happy to hear saying he hadn't heard from his Mom for weeks, I told him she was finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that Jake was nearly done with high school. Also, Mae, Mike's sister was dating some guy none of us knew of.

We managed to sweet talk the ward sister into allowing us to be in the same ward until we were discharged. I had my leg cast taken off three days before we were discharged and given the ok from the army doctor plus a promise to take it easy and not try to do too much as I was still healing from the shrapnel wounds.

A few weeks later we were on our way home to the USA and of course our Moms' were overjoyed, the day we arrived back in Manhattan, they decided we needed to have a welcome home dinner at our place so, Mike, Puck and I said we would go and buy a bottle of wine and some beers to celebrate, we went to the same bar we'd got the bottle of whiskey from in high school. We walked in and were suddenly the center of attention, people were applauding us and slapping us on the back thanking us for our service to the country, we also managed to get a couple of free drinks. Not sure if the barman remembered us from before or just assumed we were now legal, but it was all good, humbling but good I for one thanked the universe for bringing us home in one piece when so many didn't…

After a month or so at home which I spent getting back to full strength I found through the returned service-mans' information center, information about grants to go to college, Mom and I went along to the center and spoke to them. After taking away some information papers I found that I could attend any college free of charge. I applied and was accepted for law at Columbia University.

Mike had always been interested in medicine and chose to be an ophthalmologist, saying that he saw too many guys suffer eye problems, from flares and infection especially in the tropics and wanted to help.

So, in the fall of 1946 at age twenty-one I began my very first day as a college student. I chose not to live on campus as I wanted to still be around to help Mom in our boarding house plus I was enjoying working in the vegetable garden and the extra dollars we got from that helped our household budget. I felt a bit out of place among the just out of high school 'kids', but I was pleased to note I wasn't the only ex-serviceman attending Colombia, well besides Mike there were quite a few. Just in my introduction to Law Studies classes, there was three, Patrick Hemsworth, Jordon Michaels and Stan Scott, we got talking on the first day and found a lot in common, we didn't talk much about the war, only because it was hell for everyone but we did mention the places we'd been and asked about the nicer things we'd managed to do and see.

I was coping well at college and it was great to put my brain to work I had had decided I wanted do Civil law, I figured it covered a big chunk of things that might apply to me, like contracts if our band got off the ground, divorce and child custody (mainly for Puck god forbid) but also for mothers whose husbands walk out on them and leave them to fend for themselves like Momma Puckerman or widows struggling to make ends meet with no pensions or help from the government (like my Mom) and even helping folks who immigrated to America for a new start understand government laws and things.

A few months into college I started to have nightmares and suffered what my doctor said was PSTD resulting from the war, it was hard to explain how I was feeling but after talking to Mike and other ex-soldiers I knew the nervous panic and loss of sleep was normal and not me losing my mind. I found music helped heaps and I could be found on my drums or guitar whenever I had free time. I know Patrick and Stan had a hard time and took to drinking but I never wanted to go there, I mean I enjoyed a drink socially but using it to fight the demons was too much.

I threw myself into my law studies and was really enjoying myself, my results by the end of my first year were excellent and I started to look around for law firms to do some unpaid work at so I could gain more experience.

Mike was doing well with his studies and was finding it very interesting but heartbreaking at the same time, that so many people had eye problems that could be fixed with simple operations but couldn't afford them. It was about this time he started thinking of one day opening his own eye clinic for the poorer folks.

Mike and I missed Puck when we went to college, as he had no interest in school learning he became a trucker hauling stuff all over the country. But I still wrote songs and when Puck was in town the three of us got together and played. As time went on I slowly beat my PTSD and only suffered the very occasional bout of panic and despair, before I knew it I was a senior in college, and our band Blood Brothers was doing fantastically well Puck of course was doing most of the hard stuff concerts and touring and stuff with a couple of fill in musicians, but Mike and I were still writing songs and thanks to a buddy we met at school who had access to a recording studio we could record the music tracks and our part of the vocals and when Puck was in New York we met up and put it all together. The band was screaming up the charts and starting to make money and the records were flying out the music store doors.

I did date a few girls throughout my years at college but it was nothing serious on my part at least, and I couldn't even tell you the girl's names now, but I do remember one time in sophomore year I think it was. I'd met, at that years start of term mixer a girl whom I'd bumped into and nearly knocked her over as I was leaving the supper table, most probably because I hadn't expected anyone to be standing so close, and after my fumbling apology. (it really wasn't my fault, I mean who stands that close to strangers at food tables, the supper wasn't that exciting unless goldfish crackers and little triangle PB & J sandwiches were top quality party food), all she did was wave away my apology and sent me a smile.

Well, we got talking and after about 10 minutes she invited me out the next week. I agreed ( mean she was very attractive and interested in me and the vibes she was giving off about a little _'something, something'_ later on was enough to keep my interest meter ticking over, so I turned up at the designated place and time only to find I was expected to spend the evening helping her and a group of old ladies' remove the stones from boxes and boxes of cherries ready for bottling, I made an excuse and left after about 15 minutes and tried to keep out of her way on campus. But she found out where I lived and started to leave little presents on the door step which as it turned out were locks of her hair inside cards that she had written love poems about me and food, and fruit in jars and other odd stuff.

Mom thought it was funny that a girl would do that sort of thing, I just thought it was weird but did enjoy the pies Mom made from the fruit, (but I spose she had the last laugh, cause about five years later her company was the highest earning company in the tri state area and her bottled fruit was being exported all over the world).

Thankfully the other girls I dated were normal but still nothing to write home about or indeed mention in this book. But I had fun and saw a bit more of 'life' with new experiences as most college guys do and sex this time around was certainly a lot more fun than my first time. I was having a great time but knew I still hadn't found _**'my one'**_ _,_ but to be honest I was so busy any free time I had was spent catching up on my sleep.

In the August of 1951 I started working as an intern for the Law Firm of Ellis, Berry and Turner and was thoroughly enjoying myself learning heaps and making a decent wage, Mom was still running the boarding house but had employed a younger woman to help with the heavy stuff Mrs. P was still helping, but neither of them were getting any younger.

I started to go to Anderson's gym I hadn't been there since high school and it was great to see Blaine obviously he was older now but still fit and more than happy to help me with my fitness program. So, with the gym as well as the time I spent on my drums working on songs for _Blood Brothers_ I found it a good way of relaxing after work also as a good way to keep fit

I'd been feeling a little off with a niggling pain in my belly and a slight temperature but didn't think anything of it just continued with my daily timetable, thinking I'd maybe eaten something not quite right but after a couple of aspirins' and a good night sleep I felt ok in the morning. So, I went to the gym as normal and was lifting weights and going through my normal routine when suddenly, the pains came back making me drop the weight bar and fall in a heap on the floor, sweating like crazy and feeling like my insides were on fire.

I passed out most probably with a concussion from hitting my head so hard on the floor, and woke up in the hospital thinking I must have died and gone to heaven….

Because when my eyes focused on the vision leaning over me I fell instantly in love.

In a voice that sounded like silver bells I was asked if I needed any pain relief, and that I was in Hospital recovering from an operation to remove my inflamed appendix, and that her name was nurse Berry.

Well… there was nothing I could say to the beautiful woman watching me with such care, as I've said before I had thought Nurses in their starched white uniforms where the sexiest thing in the history of the world but none would ever be more beautiful than the angel standing over me her dark hair tucked under her cap and her big brown eyes locked on me.

To my own ears I sounded like an idiot stuttering a hello and asking dumbly if was I in heaven coz that's the only place I'd be lucky enough to find such an angel.

She giggled then and blushed the most beautiful pink then just shaking her head and saying softly, that no this wasn't heaven Mr. Hudson just the New York Presbyterian, and did I want anything.

I think my brain was still dopey from the drugs and not connected to my mouth, because my words just came tumbling out like word vomit, when I told her she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen and I couldn't breathe and needed more air coz she took my breath away, and would she please go on a date with me, because I felt we were soul mates and not only was she beautiful but so very sexy.

I instantly blushed a deep red hearing my words and felt about an inch high and so very stupid, and totally expecting a slap across the face or at least a complaint against me to the doctors.

But as her tiny hand raised to my face instead of the hard slap, she just cupped my cheek rubbing her soft thumb over my skin and whispered an evening with me would be wonderful and she couldn't wait, but to sleep now so I had lots of energy for our date a week on Saturday. She then walked away her butt moving sexily against her uniform and from that moment I was in love. I couldn't have stayed awake even if I tried. My eyes closed and my mind drifted away to the date and the future I could see with Nurse Berry, wondering if she was related to Hiram Berry one of the partners in my law firm.

When I woke up a couple of hours later with a parched throat, and reached to my side table for my water glass I saw a small note pink card leaning against the water jug. On opening it my face formed into the biggest smile because written in soft blue ink were the words _INglewood-55505_ following the telephone number was written. _I'm very much looking forward to our date Finn. Rachel Berry_ * _xxx_

Rachel and I managed to find some time to chat and get to know each other while I was in hospital, and as it turned she was Hiram 's daughter. Mr. Berry who after a thorough interrogation (even though he knew me and thought I was a wonderful young man and good at my job) allowed me to date his daughter, though I think Rach's words in his ear and look on her face every time she looked at me swayed him more, we went on our first date to a dance hall and I tried so hard not to step on her feet, then after dinner at her favorite Chinese restaurant, enjoying a terrific meal and a glass of wine. The evening was wonderful a light rain had fallen while we were eating and the city smelt so fresh and I gotta say the image of her in her soft blue dress and white wrap and gloves has stuck in my mind all this time. Afterwards I walked her home she had her hand wrapped around my bicep and it felt so natural and nice I craved more of her company.

Finally, at her house and not wanting the night to end I took hold of her hands leaning down quite a bit as she was about a foot shorter so our faces were only inches apart I asked if I could kiss her, she said yes so, I did and…. well as they say in the classics the rest was history. Three months later I proposed and luckily for me she accepted. I asked Puck and Mike to stand with me in April the next year, poor old Puck was aghast at the thought of marriage but was happy that both Mike and I had found such beautiful women to love us and make us happy.

Puck started to call Rach his _American-Jewish princess_ and it didn't matter how many times he'd tell her his name was Puck she ignored him and insisted on calling him Noah, even once our kids came along he was always _Uncle Noah_. It made me laugh every time watching my tiny woman tell my tough mohawk and leather jacket wearing brother there was nothing wrong with the name Noah it was a perfectly good strong Jewish name and he should be proud of it. He would just splutter on about it not being badass enough and how the girls loved Puck more than Noah. She would just bat her big brown eyes at him, pat his arm saying, yes, I know Noah, and walk away.

Puck on the other hand would just smile and shake his head. I know for a fact she was one of only a handful of people who had ever been allowed to call him Noah. From the moment, they met they seemed to clash but it was all good-natured fun and they both meant the world to each other.

I thought she was going to murder him the nightof my Batchelor party though, I'd promised her we'd be safe and that all we were going to do was have a few drinks at our old club it was still owned by Uncle Frank but now run to our surprize by our old teacher Mr. Schue, it was great to see him and catch up on what he'd been doing even though he was in his mid-50's he didn't look any older than he did when he taught us in grade school. We had a blast even got up on stage and played a few tunes. I wasn't intending to drink too much but once word got around it was my Bucks night drinks seemed to appear in my hand like magic and before I knew it I was unable to stand straight I think Puck and Mike were pretty much the same way, so sometime later we were in a cab heading to Rach's place, as it was the only address that I could remember completely.

When the front door opened and I saw my bride to be standing there dressed in her pretty lacy pink robe with a stern look on her face, I couldn't do anything but send her a grin and tell her I loved her so much and did she know I was going to marry her real soon, I leant forward to kiss her but overbalanced and nearly flattened her tiny body. She pushed me away and demanded to know how the word _Babs 42-21-36_ came to be written in slutty red lipstick on my forehead and why was another woman's silky lingerie tucked in my pocket.

I couldn't explain and asked the other guys if they knew but neither of them could tell her more than it must have happened at Schue's club, but they were positive I never went or did anything with any other broad. She finally realised by my condition and the way I was apparently looking like a sad little boy that I'd not been up to mischief and helped me inside. She made up beds on the floor of the den for Mike and Puck, and me a bed up in the living room on the sofa, got me a big glass of water, kissed me on the forehead and went back to bed. I mumbled something goofy at her making her smile and closed my eyes but the instant I did the room started to spin and I felt sick, I somehow made my way to the bathroom and threw up, thankfully registering Rachel's presence by her soft perfume and soothing words as she pressed a cold wash cloth over my face and offered me more water.

I was still feeling a bit seedy two days later, and waiting with nervous excitement for her to meet me under the Chuppah but thankfully didn't muck up my vows or fall over when it was time to tread on the marriage glass. The look on Puck's face in some of our wedding photos was one of shock that silently asked the question WHY bro!

Mike's buck's night six months later was much more subdued we just went out to eat then a few beers at the bowling alley.

I started to worry about Puck and figured that he was suffering from PTSD, and said so to Mike on one of our cross-country phone calls Mike (now based in Nevada) agreed saying he had noticed our brother's behaviour the last time they caught up and would take a trip to LA to check up on him. We got together bi- monthly in LA under the guise of taking our wives for a mini vacation, so we could play some music and see how Puck was, he said he was fine but all the partying and women wasn't really helping, but as he was a grown man we had to let him make his own decisions. I had lined up a couple of job interviews for him in New York, and as always, his answer was he was alright and not to worry he could handle it. I picked up via his words and actions that he was jealous of Mike and I and our settled lives and just hoped he'd find a lady to settle down with and be happy, coz for all his talk of parties and a different woman every other day, being fun and not wanting to be tied down, I knew he was talking out his ass and desperately wanted what we had.

My career was doing very well and the next few years were freaking fantastic, I was making an honest living and helping lots of different folks.

I remember when Rachel became pregnant with our first child a son we called Nicholas, I was over the moon when she told me by way of a little box filled with little beads with letters on them that when they were put together and rearranged spelt out the words _'IM PREGNANT, CONGRATULATIONS DADDY'._ Once I'd finished the puzzle all I could dowas look at my Rach with teary eyes and nod my head, then I took her in my arms and kissed the hell out of her. Each time she became pregnant she thought of a new inventive way to tell years later with Kristina, which coincided with my birthday, she wrote a song and sang it to me as a birthday treat. I can still remember the words

 _You're my love  
You're my angel  
And I'd like to thank you  
For waiting patiently_

 _ **Daddy's**_ _home -_ _ **daddy's**_ _home_

 _How I've waited for this moment._

I was even more in love with Rach after that but I think she outdid herself with our last baby, Aimee three years later when she enlisted the help of Nick and Kristina and made it like a scavenger hunt leaving food items starting with the letters that spelt BABY, all around the kitchen so I was dragged around the room and told by my overly excited kids to look for 2 bananas', 1 aubergine and 1 yam then when I had everything lined up on the dining room table Nick helped me put them in order so I could figure it out. I was besotted with my kids and of course my beautiful Rach.

Once Aimee started Kindergarten Rach went back to work at the local hospital, the extra money helped for sure but we weren't doing too badly the band was still earning well and all the royalties I got from the songs I wrote gave us money to invest for our old age.

My Mom was doing ok, and still in control of the boarding house though now it was more used by college kids than single men, Momma Puckerman was still helping and since the band had taken off Puck had brought her a nice little townhouse not far from Mom.

I didn't even know Puck had settled down (he never said and I never saw him with a woman when I went out there) until a couple of years later when he calls to tell me that Gabby had walked out on him while he was on a band tour. I asked if he was ok and he just said yeah and maybe he wasn't cut out for serious relationships. I flew out to LA the next day and tried to talk him around but like always there was nothing I could say that made any difference. He just promised to tone down his partying and focus on his music. Asking me if I had any new songs ready to go on the new album he was putting together. I left him with a pile of handwritten pages which he said were just perfect.

I had managed to get my own law firm up and running and was really enjoying helping my clients I was recommended by the social services department so was always busy with new clients, and after six months had taken on another Lawyer just graduated from my old Alma Marta, a spunky young woman by the name of Santana Lopez who dealt with a lot of the cases involving same sex rights and work visa's. Santana told me she was interested in learning all she could about homosexual legal rights as she herself was not interested in men and had experienced horrible taunting and abuse from folks in her home town in Lima Ohio when it was discovered she and her best friend and college roommate were lovers.

I told her I had no problem with her private life as long as it didn't impact on her job and she kept her private life just that, as I didn't bring my home life into work and at the same time didn't take my work home with me I was very happy to welcome her to the firm. From that first day Santana proved herself a fantastic and just lawyer and a genuine asset to _**'Hudson Family law'**_.

I nearly fell out of my chair one day when I answered the phone to hear Puck's excited voice. He was telling me he had got married to a beautiful lady by the name of Rosemary Norris, and he finally understood why me and Mike were always so damn happy. Once I got over the shock of his news and I had finished going mad at him for not telling us as I, and I know Mike would have wanted to stand with him. I did tell him that I was very happy to hear he had found his someone special and when would we get to meet her.

Rach and I made plans to fly out to visit with them, and as the vacation coincided with our wedding anniversary we left the kids with Mom, who was over the moon to spend a few days with her grandbabies, though they were all at school now and doing very well Nick was a spitting image of me and the girls just like Rach so in a word beautiful, though I think they'll both be just a tad taller than she is.

My first impressions of Rosemary were of a beautiful woman who was tough in the sense she had been through some hard times in her life, but had risen above and finally found happiness, and the way she looked at my brother proved to me she was genuine and not trying to take him for a ride and cash in on his success as a rock star. Rach and Rose clicked straight away and in the few days we were with the new Mr. and Mrs. Puckerman had become firm friends.

We caught up with Mike and Kimmi on our way back east and spent some well overdue time with them, their kids Candyce, Karri-Ann and Matt were growing up fast but were wonderful smart kids. It was hard to keep up with my brothers, as we were all over the country but each time we did it seemed like no time at all had past.

Snuggling with Rach in the plane on our way home I told her I was extra happy knowing Puck was finally happy and would now tone down and most probably stop his wild partying and now just focus on his music and settling down.

We caught up with Puck and Rose as well as Mike and Kimmi for as many special occasions as possible, kids' birthdays and the like over the next few years and totally enjoyed the special family time. Puck was still trying to get our kids to call him Puck instead of Noah in front of Rach, but was losing the battle much to his disgust, and Rach's look of victory every time one of the kids called him Uncle Noah.

To anyone reading this book, it probably sounds like I keep blowing my own trumpet so to speak, because as I have mentioned before my life was perfect with Rach and our kids, but it honestly was… just perfect! My kids were all beautiful and doing very well at school, and besides the normal illness's kids get and common problems with school bullies and or not overly supportive or interested teachers, I was very proud of the way they were turning out. Nick was doing well with his karate training and is already a brown belt and in high school. Aimee, was taking dance class and winning the odd trophy and Kristina was spending all her spare time and vacations helping at the local animal shelter nagging us every other week to adopt another little critter, but I should say it was getting very hard to say no, we already had a dog, 2 cats, a rabbit and her 3 hamster buddies as well as 5 ducks, a goose and 4 hens. Luckily, we had purchased a block of vacant land a couple hours' drive out of the city, just after Aimee started school that we used for summer camping vacations, which was perfect for the miniature ponies and other animals that just need a home. The time we spent there was so relaxing and gave Rach and I the chance to recharge our batteries and just have fun as a family, I remember taking Nick and Kristina down to the creek and catching tadpoles and having a go with their brand-new fishing poles. Bonfires and toasting marshmallows and even popcorn in the fancy wire basket popcorn thingy Rach found. The kids even learnt how to ride push bikes and the little quad bikes Puck brought them all one year for Christmas. Rach wasn't happy with the motorbikes especially as Nick fell off and broke his arm when he was 12, but he was a trooper and as soon as he could, was back in the saddle. We built a cabin on the block a few years ago and still try to get out there as often as possible, though once the kids got busy with school, part-time jobs and sports and stuff the visits are not as often as we'd like.

So, it was a massive shock when Puck again rings me in tears telling me that his Rosie had passed away suddenly and he didn't know what to do without her. I was devastated on his behalf and organized to get to him asap, as Mike was closer only being in Nevada he got to our brother first and from what he told me after he arrived Rosie had a massive heart attack and couldn't be revived, and that Puck was a complete mess.

Rach was heartbroken but knew Puck needed us so told me to fly first class if that would get me to him quicker. I was still weepy when I kissed Rach and the kids' goodbye at the airport wondering how Puck was going to get over this and just hoped he'd not fall off the wagon again or do anything rash and hurt himself. Mike and I did what we could with helping to arrange Rosemary's funeral then once that was over Puck just packed up his gear and took off ending up in LA. As much as I wanted to be there for him, I also knew he had to deal with his grief his way and my following him all over the country wouldn't help him.

I had to focus on my law firm, which was flat out with cases representing a group of foreign workers being underpaid and over worked in a sweatbox of a sports-wear factory run by an unscrupulous woman called Sue Sylvester. Most of the people understood very little English and spoke even less. But luckily for us, through Santana and her junior intern Mae Coen- Chang, (Mike's sister and married to her friend Tina's brother) understood a few words of their language we managed to find them an interrupter, and began the law suit against Ms Sylvester.

She had apparently promised the workers houses and the right to stay in America for as long as they wanted also an education at her elite, world famous and award-winning cheerleading college for their children, after 3-months for work. Many months of fighting and dismissing her paid witnesses whose testimonies, had more holes in them than the colander Rach used in the kitchen when she made spaghetti. Not to mention the threats she made against me personally and telling the world about Santana's sexuality or threatening to deport Mae's husband and her entire family, and trying to scare my clients into dropping their cases by threatening them with her special forces buddies.

Judge Newbold charged Sue with gross misconduct regarding employees and various other charges and ordered her to pay for all costs as well as compensation to each of the 60 workers. Our firm then helped the people who wanted to stay in the USA obtain proper visa's and such, and because of the media hype about Sue and her suspect business dealings, many other _'employment agencies for foreign workers'_ across the USA were shut down and the owners arrested.

The time seemed to fly by, until the phone call that again, had me on an airplane rushing across the country to Puck, this time it was more serious as he'd taken up drag car racing to cope with losing Rosemary, and apparently due to something going wrong with his car during a race crashed into a wall.

Mike met me at the hospital ICU and until we knew how Puck was we just paced stopping every 30 minutes or so, to call home and keep our wives up to date. I do know my kids were having a hard time with the news, their Uncle Noah was their hero and super cool and they all thought the world of him. When we were finally allowed to see him, it was such a shock. He was laying still on his bed wires and tubes attached to just about every bit of skin not covered with bandages or plaster casts. Mike and I were talking to the doctors just outside Puck's room on the fourth day, they said he was very lucky and should make a full recovery but it would be a long process, as he had broken both legs, dislocated one shoulder and broken ribs and had burns to his legs and torso but right now his coma state was more worrying.

Thanking them we hugged each other and called home to let Rach and Kimmi know, Rach being a nurse understood the hard road ahead of him and said she would ask her colleagues at the hospital for information and stuff to help him with his rehabilitation and physiotherapy later. Then two days later we walked into his room only to find him smiling guiltily at us. Both of us took it turns to vent at him for scaring the shit out of us not to mention his poor Mom. We weren't really trying to be mean but we had been so scared at the thought of losing him. He apologized and admitted he'd been foolish but the drag cars and wild life style was the only way he'd been able to cope with Rosemary's passing. Mike made him promise to stick with his guitar in the future.

It took about two months for Puck to recover enough to leave the hospital, I'd stayed in LA as had Mike, thinking he needed to come home to New York and spend some time with his Mom. I was going to raise the subject with him the day I was due to pick him up from the hospital, but was side-tracked by an envelope given to me by the ward nurse. I gave it to Puck just smiling at his happy banter about me being glad he was going to New York and happy to let his Mom and his favourite Jewish/American Nurse fuss over him, and how he will have all the kids' full attention retelling death defying stories of a famous rock star which would be a sure way to get them to lose the Noah and call him Puck. But his smile soon dropped when he opened the envelope and started to read the letter, before thrusting it at me and asking me what the hell was it all about.

It was from a law firm representing a woman who claimed Puck was the father of her baby and wanted him to pay for the doctor's bills and stuff. After reading the letter I just laughed and told my brother I'd represent him but didn't think the plaintiff would have much luck in winning.

As it turned out it was an open and shut case of sour grapes, because the woman was lying through her teeth. The investigation proved without a doubt that the dates she said she'd been with Puck and the medical papers and such didn't add up because Puck, according to the dates presented was in a coma laying in a hospital bed covered head to toe in plaster. Not to mention the major evidence of her not actually being pregnant she had and apparently used her sister's medical records. The whole ploy was to get back at her father for cutting off her very generous allowance due to her refusal to go to college instead wanting to join a hippy commune and decided as Puck was a popular figure and worth a lot of money he would do. The minute the case was thrown out of court Puck and I boarded the first plane back to New York.

Time as it invariably does moves on and before I knew it my kids had all left college and found their life partners all happily established in their careers and were enjoying their own families, I was still working but taking less cases, as over the past few years had been lucky enough to find another couple of good young lawyers who under the eagle eyes of Santana Lopez-Pierce were doing very well and my practice was in good hands. I started to work less and less by the time I was in my late 60's, the time I now had at home I spent with Rach forever being thankful for the life we have shared together, we were still in good health and were very proud of our family.

The only downer was the passing at age 97 of my beautiful Mom, who till the end was always there for me and so very proud of the man I'd become and the help I'd given others, I was a mess and it took months for me to come to terms with her not being there for a chat or advice or even a one of her special recipes. Poor Rach was at a loss to know how to help me and just hugged me singing softly. As soon as they heard Puck and Mike were by my side not doing anything much just being there, but I needed them we spent ages after her funeral reminiscing over the stories from our youth and the times we got caught doing the wrong thing by Mom and even the time she knew we'd be up to mischief with the fake ID card she'd found one day when cleaning my room.

A lot of time after I retired was spent travelling, one vacation that stands out is the one Rach and I took to Western Australia, the Kimberly region in the north of the state was just amazing we went in what is called the wet season and the dry red land is suddenly awash with water holes and little rivers all flowing into one then cascading over the rock face in a majestic waterfall, even the animals show up in abundance, red kangaroos as tall as me, the female ones carrying tiny babies in a pouch bouncing along at great speeds, giant lizards that look just like miniature dinosaurs along with their cousins the crocodiles, and I don't think we'd ever seen so many different colored and different species of bird life, from the big ostrich sized flightless birds called Emus which as it turns out it is the male birds that do the raising of their little stripped chicks while the momma Emus are busy finding another lover, right down to the budgerigars, little finches and honey eaters. We took many trips to Australia and each time found a special place that we wanted to stay in forever.

I was still involved in the music side of the band and every few months the guys and I would get together for a rockin' jam session It was extra exciting and filled me with so much pride when my grandson Nate and Mike's grandson Ash, joined the band in their junior year of college and added their own talent, Nate was a drummer and according to everyone he was the spitting image of me, even down to the goofy dimples. It was great playing our own music again and the band was still doing extremely well. Puck and the boys toured for a few years but by the time he turned 86 Puck decided he was way too old to continue with that crazy life and so the band mainly just did studio work, still earning and gaining such popularity that they were winning awards left right and center.

In the summer of 2011, I received a phone call from the host of _**'Who's got the beat'**_ Shem Casseley, down at CAB5 TV Network in New York, asking if I'd like to be part of the special show he was putting together to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Blood Brothers anthology album going multiplatinum and the release last month of Puck's autobiography, but he said he wanted to surprize Puck, Mike had already agreed to do the show and would it be possible to play a couple of songs for the studio audience and those watching at home. His plan was to talk to Puck for a bit then introduce Nate and Ash then ask Puck to join the boys on stage but instead of Nate and Ash… Mike and I would be on stage with our instruments. Of course, our wives were welcome as well. I jumped at the offer and after giving Shem my e-mail address for him to send me the details I rushed off to tell Rach and dig out my favorite red sticks. Then I rang Nate and told him what was going on I laughed loudly when he said he already knew and who do you think mentioned the idea to Ash and Shem down at the studio. I spent the next few days playing through our most popular songs and especially our signature song Blood on Blood.

The day of the TV appearance arrived and I was a bit nervous which was silly, because I'd spent years in front of people in a courtroom as well as the time doing live gigs with the band, but this show was extra special. The hardest part was keeping the surprize from Puck when he came over for dinner the night before and was excited to be doing the show. I had no idea what he was going to say but was prouder of him than I could say, he had come from nothing with nothing but a desire to do better than what he was expected to but at the same time was still the same guy that backed me up in the first grade when the bullies were picking on me. I know Mike and I had also come from the same beginnings but I think we had life a bit easier because we found our soul-mates and are still lucky to have them by our sides.

While we were waiting for our cue I was thinking about life and even though my two brothers and I were apart a lot of those years I know they have always been with me and would be by my side at a moment's notice, on the screen in our little room Mike and I watched the interview and were lost in the past when the screen behind Puck burst to life with a picture of the front cover of Puck's book causing a look of nostalgia overtake his face at the image of the golden saxophone and shiny black acoustic guitar with a white, 6-pointed Jewish star of David on the body leaning against a yellow drum kit. The bolded words **Strings, Sticks an' Sax** , in a semicircle over the top.

Then a slide show rolled slowly across the screen and as each photo flashed by, we were transported back to that first day of school in 1931, with a grade school aged Puck standing in between a slim Mike wearing his glasses and a messy haired me smiling a beaming gap-toothed grin. Another is of the three of us a few years later this time dressed in Christmas themed clothes standing around a piano, a couple more of us as teenagers in fancy clothes me a lot taller than the other two, the next few showing us three guys in army uniforms. Then two of Mike and I in graduation gowns, a biker jacket wearing Puck with his arms around our shoulders looking as proud as punch. A couple of wedding photos, one of me beaming brightly, my arms around my tiny Rachel, the other is Mike smiling just as wide in a similar position holding onto his stunning black-haired Native American princess Kimmi. In both wedding photos Puck is looking at us with a look that screams fear.

The next few are of a young Puck with his Mom and Jake and then just Puck and Jake whose black mortarboard is sitting at a jaunty angle atop Puck's shaved head on what is obviously Jake's college graduation day. The last couple are of a much older Puck with a cardboard birthday hat jammed on his head making a goofy face at the camera surrounded by mine and Rach's beautiful dimpled, dark haired children all trying to blow the candles on a cake out at the same time, and one of a late middle aged Puck from a few years ago, holding the award for best music artist surrounded by his much younger band mates, my grandson Nate who like I have said was a spitting image of me, right down to the pair of red drumsticks held over his head and goofy lop-sided dimpled grin on his face, his other arm resting over the shoulder of his darker skinned band-mate Ash, whose dark almond shaped eyes were crinkled in laughter, and long black hair in twin braids resting on his chest.

The words under the picture **'Hudson, Chang and the Puckerone, still rockin baby!'**

Mike and I then burst into loud laughter at the look on Shem's face as he tries to figure out the puzzle, pressing the remote to pause the slide show. He starts to speak as Mike and I try to quieten our noise earning scolding looks from Kimmi and Rach who are sat on the sofa watching the screen with pride but also looks of love.

His tone questioning Shem says, "Puck, man, I know you have said that your band was just you Finn Hudson and Mike Chang but dude…, those guys in the photo are too young, unless they've found the fountain of youth or were locked in ice for 70 years like Captain America or something, they can't be the same guys from way-back even though they are clones of Mike and Finn …"

Trying to control his laughter Puck can only shake his head in amusement. "They aren't Shem, sure their names are Hudson and Chang, but they are Finn and Mike's **grandson's** , so let me introduce them to you all and can I just say they are both as cool and talented as their granddaddies'. Everyone please welcome Nate Hudson and Ash Chang."

Even though we knew the room we were in was soundproofed we were a bit worried the noise of the cheering and applause the four of us were making would bleed through the walls and alert Puck to what was going on. We could obviously hear the audience clap and whistle loudly, as the guys walk onto the studio set, both taking turns to give Puck a strong hug before smiling and waving at the crowd of young girls closest to the front, as Shem un-pauses the slide show allowing the photos to continue to play automatically. He shakes both Nate and Ash's hands before they move to chairs placed either side of Puck, Shem spends a few minutes talking with them before he asks Puck another couple of questions.

Puck's face takes on a reflective expression and his tone becomes somewhat shy and humbled as he says.

"Before I start I want to thank you all for being interested enough in my life story to buy this book." Smiling Puck runs a hand over his close-cropped hair and turns serious, clearing his throat before seemingly losing himself in his past, and as he speaks the studio audience is silent.

"Ok, well let's see, as Shem has just said Blood Brothers was just me, Finn Hudson and Mike Chang in the early days, till they got all college educated and respectable and settled down and shit with proper jobs, and wives who tied a leash 'round their dicks. But long before we were making a name with our music, we were brothers in every sense of the word…"

We were shaken from our memories by a knock on the door and the soft "time to get ready guys" from the stage assistant who said his name was Curt. As I was settling myself behind the drum kit, thankful to not need to do much adjustment as Nate was as tall as me, and Mike was stretching his fingers ready to play we heard Shem talking to the studio audience… they boys were just watching with awe and pride as we got ready Rach gave me a big kiss for luck which nearly made me forget where I was before moving off stage and wrapping her arms around Nate's middle, he did the same and pressed a soft kiss on his Nana's head happy to have his family there, the rest of our family were in the audience waiting for the show.

"Ok folks, like I said at the top of the program y'all are in for a real treat, because behind that curtain the boys from Blood Brothers are setting up and getting ready to play, so all you viewers at home and our lucky studio audience, let's give a great big CAB5 studio welcome to Puck and the boys…"

Amid the audience's squeals of delight at the prospect of a live show, Puck stands up and again shakes Shem's hand as he makes his way to the side of the stage where his guitar is waiting.

He grins like a kid at the familiar beat signalling the start of one of the bands most popular songs, and once he has strapped on his favorite black Stratocaster watching as the curtain slowly opens revealing his band mates on their instruments. Only I think Puck thought he had stepped into a freaking time machine because the drummer with his tongue sticking out the corner of his mouth, banging out the beat and the keyboard player backing up the music, were not who he was expecting they're not Ash and Nate. They were…

Mike and me.

I could see the emotion filling my brother, from his suddenly choked throat and wet eyes Puck can only mumble just audible to me over the music, "Holy Shit how… what are you guys doing here? Instead of words I just pointed with one red drumstick to his guitar and shouted, "Let's do it man."

Looking over to Mike with his wide smile and dark eyes glassy, Puck wipes his eyes and nods his head and within a second has joined in the music the smile on his face brighter than the studio lights and as he loses himself in the music. The studio audience are treated to a rare video on the screen of us three guys way back when we were very much younger. Besides the fact we were all 86 years old we were playing like we were in our twenties, never missing a beat the only difference was our voices were a little raspy. I forgot I was an old man once I started to play and then when Puck started to sing the past 82 odd years seemed like nothing. I was transported back to those early days when we scrounged around for parts to make our instruments and the hours we spent jotting down random tunes and lyrics, digging in the vegetable garden and fighting for our lives on the streets of our neighbourhood and even the day we blended our blood to become brothers, but also the love we shared between the three of us. People over the years have cast aspersions on our bond saying we must be **'closer'** in that 'special' way, I personally don't give a rat's ass about them and even if we were it would be nobody's business but our own. But I think my story and Puck's proves we couldn't be any straighter or more macho than we are and are just jealous of our bond and success in both our personal and professional lives.

I stopped thinking about the trash talkers and just listened to Puck, adding my lines when it was my turn.

"… _now Finn, he's an up-town lawyer_

 _Mike, he's a medicine man_

 _And me I'm just a singer_

 _In a long-haired rock and roll band_

 _Through the years and miles between us_

 _It's been a long and lonely ride_

 _But if I got that call in the dead of night_

 _I'd be right by your side_

 _Blood on blood, blood on blood_

 _Blood on blood_

 _One on one_

 _We'd still be standing_

 _When all is said and done_

 _Blood on blood_

 _One on one_

 _And I'll be here for you_

 _Till kingdom come_

 _Blood on blood_

 _Blood on blood…"_

As the music fades, the curtains close, and the lights dim leaving the stage dark, I heard Shem thank the audience for coming and hopes they enjoyed the special treat, and to make sure they tuned in next week when their special guests, the very lovely and talented Ms Mercedes Jones star of the newest West End production of Dream Girls and Tina C, from the Broadway hit Waitresses, will be visiting them in the studio.

As soon as we'd finished playing we put down our instruments and got lost in our own world of friendship love and brotherhood, while our wives and families stood by, happy proud tears streaming unchecked down their faces.

Postscript

Like I said at the beginning of this book I couldn't see how a story about a kid from the city could be of any great interest to the masses but as Rach always said even though we might not always fully understand what our friends do for us through the years it's the little things that matter, and I remembered the day of the TV show, as we watched Puck talking to Shem with tears in our eyes and wondered how he thought we could have managed to become who we were without him we were brothers it didn't matter that we weren't related by genetics, we shared blood and even though we'd gone separate ways and done different things he supported us most of the time without knowing he was doing it but we, and I know for damn sure I wouldn't be the man I am today without him and Mike.

So, I want to dedicate this book to my brothers Mike Chang and Noah Puckerman and a good percentage of the sales in Mike's name to his favorite charity, ( **Sight USA)** and the rest to the foundation for underprivileged kids Puck set up in 1970 to give them the chance to study music.

Thanks guys for everything.

I have already autographed yours Noah, but still waiting for you to return the same man!

Finn Hudson-September 2013

~The End~

A/N: Well what did you all think? I hope I captured on the page what was in my head.

Sight USA is a made up name and has no connection to any real life business. I don't own the song Blood on Blood or known characters from the TV show glee.


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